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A Designer's Look Back: Luxury Inspiration

In 2018 we're looking back at some of our favorite designs from the previous year and asking our artists "What were you thinking?" Your eyes might go directly to the players or the schedule, but there are so many subtleties that make a design come together.

If you're thinking to yourself this year's Western Michigan Men's Basketball poster seems very systematic, hydromatic, and/or ultramatic you might be right.

Here is our chat with Director of Branding and possible former greaser Jared Stanley about his creation.

What was the inspiration behind this design concept?My inspiration for this, believe it or not, was the interior of an expensive car. I wanted it to look like it was made out of leather and have beveled gold inlays and fancy stitching.

What was your main goal / what were you trying to accomplish with this design?My main goal with this project was to create a look that was clean, classic and simple. I also wanted to create a composition that mimicked the shape of a W (for the Western in Western Michigan).

What is your favorite design element of this project?The leather texture and the stitching.

What was the biggest challenge of this design?Figuring out how to include 10 guys in the shape of a W without it looking too crowded.

If you could change one thing about this project what would it be?I would have liked to spend more time on the text effects. I really wanted those to have more of a shine to them. I wanted it to look like gold/metal with things like sense flares and light reflections.